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The Hawaii basketball team lost to Cal State Fullerton for the first time as a Big West Conference member, 67-64 today at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif.
It was the first road and Big West game of the season for UH (6-8, 0-1), which shot just 34.4 percent from the field. It snapped a 10-game winning streak against Fullerton (7-7, 1-0).
Freshman guard Leland Green scored a season-high 12 points in the loss. Brocke Stepteau added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists for UH, Gibson Johnson had 11 points and eight boards, and Sheriff Drammeh added 10 points.
One-time top scoring option Noah Allen continued to struggle, going 0-for-6 from the field for two points off the bench. Despite that, defending Big West champion UH rallied from a late 12-point deficit. Green had a heavily contested, tying 3-point attempt, but it drifted wide of the basket at the buzzer.
BWC leading scorer Tre’ Coggins (20.4 ppg) was held scoreless until 8:36 remained in the game and finished with seven points for Fullerton. Guard Lionheart Leslie led the Titans with 14 points.
UH led 15-5 early on a corner 3 by Green. Meanwhile, Coggins picked up his second foul and hit the bench for the rest of the half.
The early momentum wouldn’t last. UH struggled mightily from the field — 25.7 percent in the period — as the Titans rallied to take a 30-28 halftime lead despite committing 12 turnovers to that point.
CSF opened the second half with an 8-2 run, forcing a UH timeout when 7-footer Darcy Malone slam-dunked.
Jack Purchase found Zigmars Raimo inside for a second-chance basket, cutting it to 40-37.
Fullerton went to the interior and scored 10 straight, pushing the lead to 13. The hosts outscored UH 42-28 in the paint.
Purchase ended the run with a three-point play with nine minutes left, making it 50-40. Purchase hurt his right ankle on the basket but kept playing.
Jackson Rowe made a layup for a 58-46 Fullerton lead. Stepteau countered with a basket, and-1, to cut it to single digits with 5:36 remaining. Green and Johnson each made a free throw to make it a seven-point game with 4:27 left.
Fullerton expanded its lead back as high as 12 before Purchase hit a deep 3 with 2:08 left to keep hope alive at 65-58. Green converted a tough drive, while being fouled, to make it a five-point game but missed at the stripe.
In the final minute, Davon Clare missed two at the line for CSF, and Stepteau made a floater to cut it to 67-64. Fullerton drained clock and Coggins missed a contested shot with 12 seconds left. Green dribbled up to the 3-point arc but had to force a shot over Fullerton defenders at the horn.
Poor coaching evident in this game. Instead of saving a timeout to call a play to tie the game, Ganot blows it and uses his last timeout way too early. Blowing a 10 points lead also signs of bad coaching, And, Ganot is the first coach in 10 games to lose to Fullerton. So much for his statement that this team was gelling.
Can the coaches teach these guys how to shoot too?
Actually, I think it’s apparent that poor shooting led to losing the 10 pt lead and ultimately the game. Ganot also beat CSF 3 times last year. So much for you statement…of well, just about everything.
You can’t win on 26% shooting in the first half and the players have to get the ball into the bigs to score inside The effort needs to be made to get the ball back inside score and try get fouled on top of that. Stop chucking the dang threes ! You ain’t a good team as far as outside shooting. Most of the players can’t hit the side of a barn wall. Come on Ganot work with them on their shot release and form. Bring in Ganon baker to train these guys on offensive skillls.
Not this year… not this team… horrors..